Since the etiology of most cases of hypertension is unknown, the search for effective antihypertensive agents is largely empirical, and various classes of agents are currently employed to treat hypertensive patients.
The search for improved agents has continued because of the significant, adverse side-effects produced by all effective antihypertensive agents, and because of the not infrequent need to periodically change or modify therapy.
N.sup.6 -substitution of adenosine has produced compounds having widely varying activities, i.e., coronary dilating and blood platelet aggregation inhibitory activities, antihypercholesteremic, anti-tumor, anti-viral, growth-promoting activity and anti-hypertensive activities.
The present invention provides N.sup.6 -substituted adenosines which are useful as antihypertensive agents. This is surprising because of the widely varying and unpredictable utilities of the N.sup.6 -substituted adenosines.